Queens of the Ice

They were fast, they were fierce, they were teenage girls

by Carly Adams

During the 1930s, a team of hockey players ruled the ice: They were fast, they were fierce... and they were teenage girls.
In 1931, a group of ten teenage girls from Preston (present-day Cambridge), Ontario, enlisted the help of the top women's sport journalists of the era, and the Preston Rivulettes hockey team was born. Within a decade the team became so good that no other team would dare to play against them. Yet the struggles these young women faced are ones that women can still relate to today, including criticism for aggressive play and fighting, lack of financial and fan support, the right to govern their own sports organizations, and ice time that went to boys' and men's teams first. [Fry Reading Level - 4.8

About the Author

Carly Adams
CARLY ADAMS is a sports historian at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta. She has written many articles on the history of women in hockey, including the Preston Rivulettes. Carly is also the Book Review Editor for the academic journal, Sport History Review. She is a member of the North American Society of Sport History and the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport.

Reviews

Filled with exciting action, this slim title in the Record Books series showcases the history of the Preston Rivulettes, a Canadian hockey team of teenage girls who played together for 10 seasons, from 1931 until 1940, without losing a game and at a time when many believed that girls could not play the sport and needed chaperones to make sure they did not get into trouble. The accounts of the games offer moment-by-moment details of the players skating down the ice, pushing through the opposing team, and shooting the puck past the goalie into the net, and Adams deepens the story with the historical background of the Great Depression and the team's struggle to find money. Occasional archival photos and boxed inserts add to the clear, readable account, which does not mince words about women's struggle at the time -- "back to the ice or back to the kitchen" -- even as it celebrates the Canadian champions.
Hazel Rochman, Booklist Online (US)
"Schools and libraries where hockey is of interest may want to consider this title, as there is little existing material on women's hockey history."
Mary Ann Harlan, VOYA (US)
"As an historical record, this volume covers all the bases. It is thoroughly researched and chronologically and seamlessly organized"
Angela Thompson, Resource Links

Awards

ALA Amelia Bloomer Project - Recommended Feminist Literature for readers up to 18
2012

Subjects (BISAC)

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